The 107 is available only with a 68bhp three-cylinder 1.0-litre petrol powerplant, but in such a light car, 68bhp is enough. The 107 is nippy in town and can hold its own on faster roads if you use the gears. A semi-auto gearbox with a full auto programme is an option on Urban models.

The 107’s small size and sharp turning circle make it nimble, but it isn’t as agile as it might be out of town because of its sluggish initial steering response. At higher speeds, it turns more eagerly. The ride is hard and noisy over sharp surface changes.

The thrummy note of the three-cylinder petrol engine is ever-present and part of the car’s charm. Less welcome, however, is the amount of road and wind noise at out-of-town speeds. Everything works smoothly, though – even the full auto programme in the semi-automatic gearbox.

The 107 is cheap to buy and it should cost peanuts to run and maintain. Insurance is in the lowest group one band, routine servicing should take just over four hours in the first three years and the petrol model will manage around 60mpg on a run. Resale values are decent, too.

The 107 is cheap, but it’s not short on quality. There’s a lot of exposed metal and the plastics are hard to the touch, but the overall look is attractive and there’s a solid feel throughout. The 107 is a joint effort with Toyota, which did most of the engineering work and has an excellent record for reliability.

Four airbags are fitted and side curtain ’bags are optional. This all helped the car to get a four-star Euro NCAP crash rating. A system to keep it stable when braking in corners is also incorporated, although it’s not as sophisticated as full stability control. We’d expect the 107 to resist drive-away theft, although there isn’t the extra security of deadlocks.

The driving position won't suit everyone because the steering column adjusts only vertically and there's no seat height adjustment. Still, there's a fresh and fun-loving character to the cabin, typified by its cylindrical heater control panel that glows orange in the dark. Visibility is mostly good.

Four people will fit inside the cabin, as long as they’re not too tall and are willing to share out what space there is. That’s quite an achievement in a car which is even shorter than a Mini. However, this passenger room comes at the expense of the boot space, which is tiny and accessed through an awkward hatch opening. You need to fold the split rear seats for any substantial load.

Trim levels are Urban Lite, Urban and Verve, the last of which is a special edition. The basic Urban Lite model has four airbags, split-folding rear seats and a CD player with MP3 input socket, but not much else; Urban models add remote central locking, front electric windows and the option of air-conditioning. The latter is standard only on the Verve models, as are 14-inch alloy wheels.